Automotive Features in the Works Part I

This is the golden age of personal transportation, as far as we’re concerned at Beach Boulevard of Cars in Huntington Beach in Southern California. Automakers are innovating at an astounding pace, introducing new technologies every year. Features such as self-driving and electric motors, which were once the stuff of science fiction, have become more commonplace.

If you’re as excited at these developments as we are, you can look forward to the following automotive features that are now in the works.

In-Cabin Sensors

Sensors mounted on the exterior of your vehicle are now standard on many entry-level models. They monitor other vehicles and environmental conditions to keep you centered in your lane and prevent collisions, among other driver assists.

Currently being developed are in-cabin sensors that check up on you and your passengers, which now alert you to any people or items in the back seat. But future systems like the one Mitsubishi Electric rolled out at the last CES, will be able to check your pulse and expressions to determine your health. If they detect a possible health emergency, they can pull your vehicle to safety on the shoulder and inform first responders of your issues.

These monitors can also determine if you’re drunk through in-vehicle breathalyzers, by measuring your biometrics, or reading the iris of your eye. They can then prevent your car from being started if you read as being intoxicated.

What is a Circular Car?

No, the circular car doesn’t refer to the shape of the vehicle or the way it drives. Instead, the term refers to recycling old materials into components that forge a new vehicle. Many manufacturers now reuse materials to save on costs and environmental waste:

• Cooper Standard Automotive is collaborating with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology to create its unique elastomer Fortrex from such recycled plastics as water bottles, grocery bags, and detergent containers.
• BMW has adopted a Secondary First sourcing policy that demands the use of recycled materials over new ones. Its I Vision Circular concept will be made using only recycled materials.
• Jaguar Land Rover created Econyl nylon for use in floor mats and other trim. This substance is made from recycled industrial plastic, abandoned fishing nets, and fabric offcuts from clothing factories.

The Smart Factory

Industry 4.0 relies on new technologies, such as the Internet of things, robotics, and predictive analytics to create automated, flexible, and interconnected methods to create interconnected, automated, and versatile factories that maximize productivity and flexibility. Only about 30 percent of car factories could be called smart in 2020. Manufacturers have a goal of making 44 percent of their facilities smart by 2025.

These factories do more than allow their machines to talk to each other. They can also communicate with dealerships to know when a custom-colored SUV will be available for shipping or tell trucking companies when to come and pick up the next batch of vehicles.

The Skateboard 

A new platform has emerged to join unibody and body-on-frame architecture: skateboards, which consist of a flat rolling chassis that contains braking, steering, electronics, and suspension systems. By using the same skateboard for models such as SUVs, trucks, and sedans, automakers can design new models more quickly and save money on manufacturing.

There is more on this topic, but that’ll be for next month.